Addison Russell and the Cubs are under the microscope for all the wrong reasons

The Cubs kicked off apology week Friday at Sloan Park, where Addison Russell appeared before the media for the first time and accepted responsibility for his actions that led to a 40-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball domestic violence policy.

Next on tap is Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts, who will address the racist and Islamophobic emails of his father, Joe Ricketts, at a Monday news conference.

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The start of spring training usually is a time to spread the word of hope.

Unfortunately for the Cubs, this spring begins with apologies for actions and words that have no place in society. The organization has been put under a microscope thanks to Russell and Joe Ricketts, and we’ll see if it can return to the place that brought so much joy to Chicago only a few years ago.

With Cubs President Theo Epstein standing in the back of the media room, Russell answered questions related to the alleged abuse of his ex-wife, Melisa Reidy, which he originally denied in a statement last fall.

“Through counseling I now have a better understanding of what domestic abuse is,” Russell said, adding later: “The person who has been inflicted the most in this process is Melisa. And … I want to own those actions and I am sorry for the hurt that I have caused Melisa and the pain that I put her through.”

Russell would not get into “specifics” but said that he’s committed to being a “better person,” that his teammates have shown support for him and his family and that he’s “sorry for the hurt and pain I’ve caused Melisa.”

How does Russell plan to regain the support of Cubs fans?

“I know that I’m still early in this process, and through this process I realize I let a lot of people down,” he said. “I let Cubs fans down, my organization, my teammates, my family and also myself.

“I’m doing everything in my power to become a better person, father, teammate, partner and provider, and through this process I believe I have already shown great improvement, just coming home.

“I personally think we’re doing the right thing, but I understand people that are critical to the approach we took,” Epstein said Tuesday. “There are people who are upset and think we should have just moved on. But I can at least pledge to those people that we’re taking this on earnestly, that it’s important to us. It’s not words; they’re actions.

“And I will continue to be transparent with (the media) and our fans about everything that we’re doing to attack this problem of domestic violence.”

Epstein is the one responsible for giving Russell a second chance, and he reiterated there are no guarantees Russell will be back. Epstein also is responsible for acquiring Chapman and Daniel Murphy, whose homophopic comments from years earlier with the Mets led some Cubs fans to vow they no longer would root for the team.

While the Murphy, Russell and Joe Ricketts situations may be separate issues, all three put the organization in a bad light.

What would Maddon say to fans who have decided they no longer can support the team because of these issues?

“We all have our own opinions on situations, we all deal with different moments differently,” he said. “From us to them, hopefully that they’ll listen and realize we’re attempting to do the right things among all these different items, whether it was Murph last year or Mr. Ricketts right now and, of course, Addison.

“We’re just trying to do the right things for everybody involved. We hope the fans understand that. We hope the fans understand that second chances are a part of life. And we’ve all been there. We’re working our way through this right now. It’s kind of new ground for us too. And to give people an opportunity to resurrect themselves in a sense and put themselves back on the right path as human beings first. It’s not even about baseball right now.”

Murphy was treated well by the majority of fans during his brief stay in Chicago, and now he’s with the Rockies to start another chapter in his life.

Russell no doubt will be judged on his actions during the rest of his playing days, and at 25, he likely has a long career ahead of him.

Taking personal accountability and apologizing were good first steps, whether or not they’re part of his league-mandated therapy. He might have sounded robotic at times, but Russell’s apology sounded heartfelt to me.

Joe Ricketts, on the other hand, has yet to apologize in person and probably never will have to face the music for his hateful words. He has left it to his kids to deal with the aftermath, a cowardly move by a rich, powerful man.

Calling the emails “racially insensitive” in a statement was a misstep by Tom Ricketts, who seemed more worried about making sure everyone knew his father has no day-to-day involvement with the Cubs. He should know better.

Epstein said Tuesday that the emails were “upsetting” to read and correctly referred to them as “disgusting views.”